Friday, February 10, 2006

Apparently this is some kind of compromise on ID cards. The Government is going to give MPs a vote on introducing compulsory ID cards. I'm not sure I see how this qualifies as a compromise. A 'compromise' would suggest they are altering an element of the bill, this doesn't actually change anything to do with the scheme.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke said he had "listened to the concerns that people have expressed"... Mr Clarke told the BBC: "It is a concession because it's a different proposal than we originally had about the means of going compulsory. And it's designed to meet the concerns that some colleagues had but it's not a concession on the principle of going compulsory, which is at the core of the scheme."

So he 'listened to the concerns that people have expressed' and then ignored them and went on doing what he was going to do anyway. That's sensible government.